1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for controlling selection using a switch and, more particularly, to a method and device for controlling selection using a switch arranged on a miniature casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is a common practice with a miniature apparatus having a data display to select or fix, for example, characters on switches or push buttons. Particularly, in a telephone set with a display, the telephone numbers or names of the other parties are input on push buttons and stored. A character inputting system applicable to this type of telephone is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-155759 (JP-A-01-155759). The system disclosed in this document scrolls or fixes characters appearing on the display when the user operates a plurality of keypads.
For example, with a telephone set having many buttons, it is easy to input characters thereon. However, when it comes to a radio pager or similar miniature apparatus, the input of characters and various kinds of selection should preferably be implemented by a minimum number of buttons; many buttons would obstruct the miniaturization of a casing. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-52338 (JP-A-03-052338), for example, teaches a radio pager capable of controlling stored messages with a small number of buttons. The pager taught in this document selectively displays, stores or deletes stored messages with a power switch and a message control switch. Specifically, every time the message control switch is pressed, messages are sequentially read out of a memory and displayed. Let this mode be referred to as a display mode. When the message control switch is pressed after all the messages have been displayed, the display mode is replaced with a store mode. When the message control switch is again pressed after all the messages have been displayed in the store mode, a clear mode is set up in place of the store mode. When the power switch is pressed in the store mode or the clear mode, the message appearing on the display is stored or cancelled. In this way, the message control switch is operated to replace the operation mode every time all the messages are displayed, while the power switch is operated to effect setting. Hence, the two switches suffice for both the mode change and the selection.
However, the above conventional pager needs more than two switches or buttons for the input of characters, the selection of functions, and so forth. Such switches or buttons occupy an exclusive area and increase the over-all size of the pager, thereby impairing the portability. Further, two or more switches must be operated in combination, resulting in a troublesome procedure.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for controlling selection using a switch and capable of eliminating the problems discussed above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for controlling selection using a switch and allowing data to be input or selected with a minimum number of switches.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for controlling selection using a switch and allowing the user to input or select data with a simple switch operation.
In accordance with the present invention, a device for controlling selection using a switch has a switch for selection, a detecting circuit for detecting the depression of the switch, a display for displaying data, and a controller. The controller scrolls, at predetermined intervals, the data to be displayed on the display, and stops, when the detecting circuit detects the depression of the switch during scrolling, the scrolling and selects the data being displayed.
Preferably, the controller has a first clock generator for generating a first clock for controlling the speed of the scrolling, and a scroll counter mans for counting the first clock. Further, the controller has a first storage for outputting, by using the counts of the scroll counter as addresses, codes for generating the data, and a data feeding circuit for generating the data in response to the codes from the first storage, and for feeding the data.
The controller may additionally have a second clock generator for generating a second clock lower in speed than the first clock, and a clock switch for selectively feeding one of the first and second clocks to the scroll counter.
The controller controls the switch such that when the switch is pushed while the scroll counter is operating with the first clock, the second clock is fed to the scroll counter, and such that when the switch is pushed while the scroll counter is operating with the second clock, the scrolling is stopped.
The controller causes the data to blink after the stop of the display. Further, the controller means selects the data being displayed when the switch is not pushed within a predetermined period of time after the execution of the blinking.